Brozovic set to take Al-Nassr’s midfield to new heights

Al-Nassr have made their first significant signing since Cristiano Ronaldo as Marcelo Brozovic arrives from Inter Milan.

One of the top defensive midfielders in the world will be lining up with the five-time Ballon D’Or winner in the increasingly famous yellow shirt next season.

The signing is another coup for the Riyadh club that finished second last season behind Al-Ittihad.

It leaves the Italian giants, who only last month lost the Champions League final to Manchester City, looking for a replacement for the 30-year-old who has spent over eight years at the club.

It also leaves Barcelona looking for another to shore up their midfield after they were linked with the Croatian.

Al-Nassr perhaps sent a little dig toward the Catalan club in the official unveiling video. “Everyone wanted him,” it said. “He wanted ONLY us.” The Croatian then appeared to tell his new fans: “Don’t worry, I’m here. I choose Al-Nassr.”

The announcement came just two days after Luiz Gustavo left the club. The Brazilian defensive midfielder had a fine season for Al-Nassr after arriving from Fenerbahce, and the former Bayern Munich man was almost an ever-present in the season when the Riyadh giants pushed Al-Ittihad all the way before falling short right at the end.

Most would agree however that Brozovic is an upgrade. He has been playing at the very top of the European game for almost a decade. At the same time, he has appeared close to 90 times for Croatia and was a vital part of the team that reached the final of the 2018 World Cup and the last four just last December in Qatar.

Despite that big game experience, Brozovic is not a Ronaldo or a Benzema. He is not going to do as many spectacular things on the pitch and does not score many goals. Yet he could be a crucial capture for the club. As one Italian newspaper said as it lamented the loss of the star who had been at the heart of Inter Milan for years: “The player who has kept things ticking over under all of Luciano Spalletti, Antonio Conte, and Simone Inzaghi will no longer be an Inter player starting next season. Now, the task begins of constructing a new-look midfield.”

That is what he will do in Saudi Arabia. He will keep the Al-Nassr midfield ticking over as an experienced performer. Brozovic makes use of the ball well and the Al-Nassr defenders will welcome the fact that he will be an outlet for the ball when they are under pressure. The Zagreb-born star is a fine passer and his presence should mean that the team not only will have more possession but should also be able to use it in a more effective way. This has to be good news for the likes of Ronaldo and Talisca in attack.

Such experienced stars will also benefit from Brozovic’s awareness on and off the ball. Whoever comes in as coach will find a defensive midfielder who can thrive in multiple systems and is an intelligent reader of the game.

This should be a real boon for Al-Nassr. At times last season, there were opportunities to either pull away at the top of the league, move back above Al-Ittihad or at least put serious pressure on the leaders. Yet too many opportunities were wasted, with overreliance on the individual brilliance of players such as Ronaldo and Talisca and not enough coherent organization and tactics.

The arrival of Brozovic should go a long way to remedy that. He thrives in well-oiled systems while helping to take them to the next level.

It is also good news for fans after a move to sign Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea did not materialize. The Moroccan winger would have been an exciting addition but, according to reports, a medical found complications with a knee injury, and the deal fell through.

Brozovic is a different player than Ziyech but is a class act and does what all fans want new signings to do: he will make Al-Nassr a better team and possibly take them to the top next season.